


Nurturing Hope

by Melanie_b



Category: Kabby fandom, The 100, The 100 (TV)
Genre: Babies, F/M, Fluff, Hope, Kabby, Love, team adults
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-08-01 15:34:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melanie_b/pseuds/Melanie_b
Summary: Set in a season 6 AU where Marcus Kane was injured by Vinson but isn’t in a coma. Fluffy au where  Abby and Marcus watch each other caring for baby Hope and fall even more in love with each other.





	1. Chapter 1

The three women were intent on the tablet screen, Indra’s dark head, Abby’s golden mane and Diyoza’s brown ponytail making a striking contrast. They were deep in thought, studying a map of the area Clarke had left before setting off with Bellamy, Octavia and Murphy to reconnoitre the area to the east. On the other side of the table, Marcus Kane was making duty rosters, concentration etched on his handsome features.

“Clarke says the fertile land is across the river,” said Abby, pointing with her finger to the narrowest point of the river.  
“We’d need to build a bridge,” said Indra thoughtfully. “We have the manpower but the materials might not be so easy to come by.”  
Charmaine Diyoza smiled wryly. “Why go over when we can go under? We’re on a mining ship after all.”  
Abby and Indra looked at each other, weighing up the idea. Diyoza got up slowly to go and check on her daughter in the bassinet in the corner. She moved with difficulty, still in pain from the emergency caesarean Abby had had to perform when she realised that baby Hope, the first baby to be born on the new planet, was breech.  
That had been 10 days ago. Hope had been born six weeks premature, which was ironic considering she’d been in the womb for over two hundred years. However she was strong and healthy and with Abby’s expert care and her mother’s gentle love she was thriving. 

Charmaine Diyoza had taken to motherhood like a duck to water. She was an unlikely candidate: formerly the most wanted terrorist on Earth, she had later led a mutiny on the prisoner mining ship to which she had been sentenced, leading the prisoners back to Earth to discover it had been destroyed by not one but two nuclear apocalypses. 

Abby knew that the pregnancy had been the result of too much tequila on a lonely asteroid, but on Earth they had begun to have hope that Diyoza’s baby would have a better life than she had. Abby loved that it had been Marcus who had named the baby. He had never given up hope in a better future for their people. It was what had made Abby fall in love with him, although he would say that she had taught him about hope. 

In her bassinet, Hope was awake and fussing. Probably a code brown situation, as she had been fed just an hour before. Charmaine lifted the child gently, the sour milky smell confirming her suspicions.  
“I have to change Hope,” she told the others. “We’ll talk about the tunnel when I get back.”  
At this Marcus got up, stretching his back, and stepped forward. “Here, let me,” he said with a smile. “You stay and discuss the project.”  
Charmaine smiled in surprise. “Thank you, Kane.” She sat back down and glanced at Abby, who was staring at Kane’s retreating back, an amused look on her face.  
“He’s smitten,” said Charmaine with a chuckle.  
Abby smiled. “He is. Who’d have thought it?” She knew Marcus had never wanted children as a young man, mainly because of the difficult relationship he had had with his own parents. Growing up with a strict authoritarian father and a mother whose coping strategy had been to throw herself into her religion, Marcus had gradually learned how to shut himself off emotionally from everyone around him. Abby’s heart warmed to think how proud Vera Kane would be of the generous, warm hearted man her son had become. 

Indra broke into her thoughts. “Hope certainly seems to be bringing out his paternal instinct.”  
Abby nodded, a sad look crossing her face that he would never get to be a real father now. Indra hastily changed the subject.  
“We should get these plans drawn up. We need to put together a task force. I suggest two teams, each with an engineer in charge.”  
“Raven and Emori?” Abby proposed, her mind once again on the job at hand.  
“I agree. With Bellamy and Murphy as foremen,” said Indra. 

They were still deep in discussion when Marcus came back with a freshly changed Hope. Instead of putting her back in her bassinet, he sat down with her cradled in his crook of his arm and went back to his rosters. He really didn’t want to let go of her, Abby thought with small smile. Just like he had never let go of hope.

Unfortunately for him, Hope was not inclined to settle, so Abby watched out of the corner of her eye as Marcus abandoned his work and got to his feet, moving Hope to his shoulder and gently rubbing her back. That seemed to help, so he began to pace slowly up and down the room, the gentle rhythm of his steps gradually calming the infant. Abby watched him, transfixed. Just when she didn’t think it was possible to fall any more in love with him, the man surprised her again. 

“- shouldn’t she?” Abby was brought back to reality by Indra’s question, which she had missed the first half of.  
“Erm, I’m sorry, what was that?” she stuttered, her cheeks burning. Indra glanced at Marcus and smiled knowingly.  
“I was saying that Diyoza should brief Raven and Emori about the machines,” she repeated patiently. Abby agreed a little too wholeheartedly, and they moved on to the next point. 

The women worked on, drawing up plans and discussing the mining equipment they would need. Through the window the two suns sank lower and lower in the sky. Abby began to feel tired, and she was becoming increasingly distracted by the sight of Marcus and Hope. The baby had settled at last and was fast asleep on Marcus’s shoulder, her long eyelashes brushing her cheeks. She looked so peaceful, and the juxtaposition of her tiny size with Marcus’s gentle masculinity was breathtaking. He must have felt her gaze upon him, because at that moment Marcus looked up from his work and smiled at her, happiness radiating from his face. 

“Ok, maybe that’s enough for today,” she said with a weary smile. “We’ll meet with Clarke and Bellamy when they get back and put our proposal to them. Indra, can you radio Octavia to get their ETA?”  
Indra nodded, gathering her things.  
“Of course. I’ll tell them to meet with us tomorrow at 8.” With that she left the room. Charmaine approached Marcus and gently lifted her sleeping daughter from him. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a new job Kane. How would you like to be Hope’s full time nanny?”  
Marcus huffed a laugh. “Anytime. It’s always a pleasure to help out.” He was clearly pleased, although he tried not to show it. 

When they were alone, Abby allowed Marcus to pull her onto his lap with a contented sigh, enjoying the warmth of his strong arms around her. She threaded her fingers through his hair, and, pulling him close, kissed him passionately.  
When they broke apart he looked up at her in surprise.  
“What was that for? Not that I’m complaining…”  
Her fingers toyed with his hair.  
“For reaching new undiscovered levels of adorableness.”  
He raised an eyebrow.  
“Well, I aim to satisfy…” he said with a smirk.  
“Well, today you exceeded all expectations. You were beautiful with Hope. You’re a natural and she likes you.”  
She smiled at the pride in his eyes.  
“She’s so tiny. I was worried I was going to break her. Are all babies that tiny?”  
Abby chuckled. “More or less.” A wistful look crossed her face.  
“What is it?” he asked, concern furrowing his brow.  
Abby sighed. “You would make a wonderful father. Even Indra said so. I’m sorry you won’t ever be one.”  
He lifted her chin to look at him.  
“Abby, we’ve talked about this before,” he said gently. “With you I have everything I could ever dream of.” He chuckled. “And anyway, there’s Hope. And Madi. Not to mention Clarke and the gang. I’ve got my hands pretty full you know.”  
They both laughed at this, and then their lips met again, this time in a slower, more leisurely kiss that Abby never wanted to end. 

Afterwards, their arms wrapped around each other, they sat in silence and watched the two suns setting on the horizon. The light was different on this planet, not only brighter but also slightly yellower, and the double shadows took some getting used to. The moments after the first sun had set, leaving only its twin in the sky, were eerily reminiscent of Earth. Then the second sun disappeared in a glow of red and orange and the planet was plunged into darkness, the night sky specked with unfamiliar constellations of stars.  
“Beautiful!” Abby breathed, resting her head against his.  
“Stunning,” agreed Marcus.  
“I’m tired,” said Abby said sleepily. “Are you ready for bed?”  
Marcus got to his feet, a gleam in his eye. “Always,” he said. And taking her hand, he led her out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

“Diyoza, we need you to come and brief us about the machinery,” Clarke said. “Do you have time now?”  
“Sure, Clarke. I just need to find someone to keep an eye on Hope. Maybe Kane is free.”  
Clarke shook her head. “He left earlier this morning with Bellamy, to go and check out the red forest on the hill,” she said with a frown. “Take her to my mom in medical. I can’t imagine she’s busy.”  
Diyoza nodded. “Good plan.” And picking up Hope, she set off in the direction of medical.

In medical Abby was going through the inventory. It was a tedious job but necessary if she wanted to be able to find anything in an emergency. The medical centre was fairly well stocked at least. Well, she reasoned, the crew had been asleep for most of the time. She wondered idly just how long they’d been on the asteroid. She’d have to ask Charmaine. She smiled at the thought that they were becoming firm friends. She hadn’t really had a friend since Callie on the Ark. A lump formed in her throat at the thought of her dear friend.

A noise behind her made her start, and she turned around to see Diyoza with Hope in her bassinet.  
“Abby, be an angel and have Hope for an hour or two? I need to go brief Raven and the others.”  
“Yes of course, no problem,” Abby smiled. She paused, an endearing image flashing through her head. “Although you could ask Marcus. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to play nanny again.”  
“Well, he was my first choice,” Charmaine replied with a grin, “but Clarke says he’s gone out with Bellamy.”  
Abby looked startled. “He’s what? He’s supposed to be resting. He’s still got stitches.”  
Charmaine raised her eyebrows.  
“Should I tell him you’d like a word with him when I see him?”  
“Yes, please do that,” said Abby, pursing her lips in frustration. God, the man was infuriating. Adorable, yes, but infuriating.  
Shaking her head, Abby took the bassinet from Charmaine and placed it on the table next to her. Charmaine made a hasty exit with instructions to “just radio if she wakes up”.  
Alone again, Abby went back to her inventory, Hope asleep in the bassinet beside her. Every so often she paused to gaze at the sleeping baby, or to caress her cheek lightly. She remembered when Clarke had been this tiny. She had been an incredibly easy baby, sleeping through the night more or less straight away, and gurgling placidly when she was awake. She had hardly even suffered from colic. She hoped for Charmaine’s sake Hope was going to be the same. 

A movement caught her eye, and she looked up to see Murphy entering medical, blood pouring from his hand and an agonised expression on his face. Without a word Abby leapt up and led him quickly to the sink, turning on the tap and holding his hand under the water until nearly all the blood had washed away.  
“How did this happen, John?”  
“Cutting wood,” replied Murphy between gritted teeth. “Slipped.”  
“It was a huge splinter. It’s going to need a stitch or two I’m afraid,” said Abby, hurriedly trying to remember where the anaesthetic was. She didn’t recall seeing it that morning.”Here, hold this on it and press it hard.”  
She went to the stock cupboard to find the needle and thread and anaesthetic, but alas, no anaesthetic was to be found. She’d have to do it without. Grabbing an extra roll of bandages she returned to Murphy, who was looking decidedly calmer.  
“John, I only need to put three stitches in,” she reassured him. “But I don’t have any anaesthetic, so it’s going to hurt a little bit. Bite on this if you need to.” And she put the roll of bandages between his teeth.  
As quickly as she could, she stitched the wound up but Murphy’s muffled yells echoed through medical, waking Hope in the process. When she was finished, she dressed the wound and gave Murphy a painkiller, before picking up the crying baby to console her.  
“Didn’t hurt at all,” said Murphy with a grin. “Sorry about the baby, Abby.”  
Abby shooed him out of medical with a laugh and turned her attention to Hope, wondering if she ought to radio Diyoza to come and feed her. She’d give it five minutes, she thought, and then she’d radio. 

That afternoon, Diyoza was making her way downstairs to engineering with Clarke when they encountered Kane and Bellamy coming up the stairs. Bellamy looked fine but Kane was looking exhausted, his face lined with pain. Diyoza stopped him with a hand on his arm.  
“If I were you I’d stop by medical. Your wife wants a word with you.”  
Kane looked crestfallen. “Oh. Was she mad?”  
“I’m not sure, but when I left she was shaking her head and muttering. Something about ‘twelve hours to put him back together’ and ‘serve him right if it all fell out again’.”  
Kane looked sheepish. “Ah. Ok. I guess I’ll stop by later then.”  
“Kane, go now!” the other three exclaimed in unison, Clarke adding “You know what Mom’s like, she’ll stew about it all day.”  
Since he did know very well what Abby was like - he loved her dearly but she was terrifying when she was mad - Kane reluctantly carried on up the stairs to medical. The other three watched him sorrowfully before continuing down to engineering, Clarke hissing “What were you thinking?” to an indignant Bellamy. 

As Marcus approached medical he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He hated fighting with Abby, especially when he knew she was right. He opened the door hesitantly and peered inside, expecting to find a tiny angry tornado awaiting him. Instead, the scene that met his eyes was enchanting.  
Abby was sitting by the window, baby Hope asleep in her arms, the sunlight of the two suns bathing her in an ethereal glow. She was humming softly - Edelweiss, he thought - and he had never seen her looking so beautiful. He certainly hadn’t seen her looking so peaceful in a long time.  
The six years in the bunker had been so hard on Abby - on all of them - but the opioid addiction had ravaged her spirit to the point that he almost hadn’t recognised her anymore. He had never stopped loving her desperately - he would literally die for her - but the point had come where he couldn’t stay and watch her kill herself. She had always been his light in the darkness, and seeing that light slowly extinguish itself had been devastating. She had finally gone through detox - with Clarke’s help, not his, because he hadn’t been there and he would never forgive himself for that. But now, little by little, her soul was healing and her light was coming back. Her hope was coming back. She had faced her demons and had chosen the right ending to her story. Seeing her here with baby Hope, so at peace with herself, he thought he had never loved her as much as now.  
She was still unaware of his presence and he felt like he was intruding, so he closed the door softly and she turned her head to see him.  
“Marcus!” Her face lit up with such genuine joy and affection that for a moment it took his breath away, rendering him unable to do anything but bend down and kiss her softly on the lips before stroking Hope’s tiny face with his thumb.  
“I didn’t know you were looking after Hope,” he said softly.  
“Charmaine had a meeting,” Abby replied without taking her eyes off Hope. “But Murphy’s yells woke her up.”  
Marcus chuckled softly. “What did you do to him?”  
“I had to stitch his finger without anaesthetic. He yelled a little,” she admitted.  
He shook his head with an affectionate smile, leaning in to kiss her again, but before their lips could meet the door opened and Charmaine came in, a smirk forming on her lips when she saw them jump apart.  
“Well aren’t you two the lovebirds lately,” she remarked, taking Hope from Abby and placing her in the bassinet. “Abby, I owe you one. Thank you.” She headed towards the door. “See you both at dinner?” And she was gone. 

When the door had closed behind them, Marcus took Abby in his arms and buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. Cedar, or pine, probably the shampoo that Niylah made. It drove him crazy.  
“I’m so glad you’re not mad at me,” he mumbled.  
Recollection dawned on Abby and she pulled away from him.  
“Oh, but I am! Marcus! What were you thinking? You’re supposed to be resting!” She glared at him and he hung his head guiltily, unable to meet her gaze.  
“I’m sorry - “  
“I spent twelve hours stitching you up. Twelve hours! It would -“  
“Serve me right if it all fell out again. I know, and I’m sorry.” He took her hands in his. “I just wanted to be useful.”  
His forlorn expression melted her heart, and she caressed his cheek with an exasperated little sigh.  
“I know. I understand,” she said softly. “But can I just check your stitches?”  
Abby pulled the curtain across and he lay down on the stretcher, lifting up his shirt so that she could peel off the bandage to expose the neat row of stitches on his abdomen. The wound stretched below the waistline of his trousers so she undid the top button and pulled them down a little, smiling mischievously.  
“It seems to be healing well,” she said, her fingers delicately tracing patterns on his skin. “No harm done.” She heard his breath hitch as her teasing fingers moved a little closer to the top of his boxers. She smiled to herself, aware of the effect she was having on him.  
“Abby…” he moaned.  
“Yes, Marcus?”  
“Don’t tease. You know I want you.”  
“So I see,” she said with an amused glance at the swelling in his boxers. “But the middle of the afternoon in medical is neither the time or the place.” She buttoned up his trousers, much to his disappointment. Then, leaning forward and kissing him, she whispered “That, my love, will have to wait until tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry about the 12 Monkeys references, but I couldn’t help myself when Abby was washing the blood off Murphy’s hand!


	3. Chapter 3

Abby awoke the next morning with the sunlight streaming in on her face and a sleeping Marcus Kane wrapped around her.

It was her favourite place to be, in bed with Marcus, naked in his arms. She smiled and closed her eyes, revelling in his warmth and closeness. She felt like the luckiest woman on - well, not Earth but the new planet anyway. 

She had slept exceptionally well for once; probably the result of the three glorious orgasms Marcus had given her before they had fallen asleep.

Their lovemaking had been both passionate and gentle - because it would never do for Marcus to pop his stitches due to overly energetic sex - and it had been wonderful. They had taken the time to really enjoy each other in a way they hadn’t in a long time. Maybe since Polis, she thought blissfully.

Feeling him stir behind her, she wriggled around in his arms until she was facing him. 

“Hey,” she said, her voice low and husky.

He opened one eye and smiled sleepily at her, then pulled her closer to him. She ran her hand over his beard and kissed him. “Sleep well?”

“Mmm-hmm. You?”

“Mmmm. You see, I had some amazingly good sex last night.”

His smile widened. “Yeah, me too.” He was more awake now, his hands   
wandering over her curves. “Wanna go again?” 

She sighed longingly. “I should get up. I have work to do.”

“It won’t take long. Promise.”

She laughed out loud at that. “Marcus Kane, you are a terrible influence.”

She tried to climb out of bed, but he pulled her back in, wrapping her in his arms against her protests.

“Wait a moment. I want to talk to you.”

She settled back in again. “What is it?”

He propped himself up on his elbow and paused, looking a little awkward.

“I just wanted to say - I mean - it was really beautiful yesterday. Seeing you with Hope. I haven’t seen you looking so happy in such a long time.” 

Abby smiled, moved by his words. “She’s a beautiful baby.”

Marcus nodded, looking serious. “She is. And it made me think… it would be nice to have one of our own, wouldn’t it? A little baby Hope.”

Abby looked at him in surprise. “Maybe,” she agreed cautiously. “But I don’t know if it’s possible, Marcus.”

“Why not?” he asked. “I love you. You love me. We both love that thing you do to make babies,” - she smirked at this - “so why wouldn’t it be possible?”

Abby blinked at him. “Well there’s the fact that I’m a hundred and seventy-one years old -“

“Cryo doesn’t count,” he interrupted.   
“You’re 46.”

“Which is already old,” she countered.

“Not from where I’m standing.” He ran his eyes over her appreciatively, making her blush and squirm with desire at the same time.

“Abby, I would love to see you with our child. I know I said the other day that it doesn’t bother me not being a father, and it doesn’t. I’m happy as I am. As we are. But I also think it would be incredible to share that experience with you.” He paused expectantly. 

When Abby looked up at him, she was overwhelmed by the hope in his eyes. A lump formed in her throat.

“Marcus, I don’t know what to say. I’m - I’m touched that you feel like this. But I don’t know if I can.”

He stroked her hair. “It’s ok,” he said. “Just think about it. Please?”

She nodded wordlessly.

“Now,” he grinned. “Where were we?”

Abby wriggled out from under him, much to his dismay, and headed to the shower. 

“Getting ready for work,” she said. “Want to join me in the shower?”

He needed no further invitation.

 

That day was manic in medical. 

Just after breakfast, Echo and Emori arrived covered with huge red boils. It seemed they had been bitten by an unknown insect in the forest. 

Abby had no idea how to treat them, never having seen anything like it before. In the beginning they were just incredibly itchy but when the two girls began to run a fever Abby became seriously concerned. 

She hooked them up to IV antibiotics - just in case - and bathed the ugly boils with cool water.

“Did you see what bit you?” she asked them, but the girls just shook their heads miserably.

Echo had one on her lip which was making it difficult to talk and Emori’s right eye was nearly swollen closed. What was worse, the boils were starting to ooze green pus.

“Maybe we should try antihistamines,” suggested Jackson, and Abby agreed.

Half an hour later Murphy, Bellamy and Miller arrived in a similar condition, Bellamy with one on his bottom which made it impossible for him to sit down. 

Abby didn’t even want to know how he had managed to get one there. 

By late morning there were eleven people covered in boils in medical, and Abby’s heart sank even further when she saw her daughter at the door, a huge red boil on the end of her nose. 

“Clarke! Not you too!” 

She led her daughter to an empty bed and administered the antihistamines. Clarke looked ready to cry. 

“I feel really bad, mom,” she said. “It’s like the itching starts inside, under your skin. And I feel shivery.”

Abby touched her daughter’s cheek. “It’s causing an infection, I think,” she said quietly. “The antibiotics will fight it.” She paused as a thought struck her. “What about Madi?” 

Clarke shook her head. “She wasn’t with us. I think she was training with Octavia.” 

Abby was relieved; she had no idea how the boils would affect a child. She hugged her daughter and went off to help one of Diyoza’s men whose ear was quickly swelling to the size of a potato.

When Marcus stopped by Medical to see if Abby was ready to go to lunch, the scene that greeted him was like something from a horror movie. All around him lay people with deformed faces and hands, green pus oozing out of the huge shiny red welts. 

He searched for Abby and found her with Bellamy, who was lying with his bottom bared, an enormous boil on one cheek. 

“Abby! What’s going on?” 

“Some kind of insect bite, I think,” said Abby wearily. “It’s causing these huge itchy boils and a fever. And I have no idea how to treat it.”

Marcus rubbed her back supportively. “Is there anything I can do?”

Abby smiled at him gratefully. “No. We just have to wait it out. Echo and Emori’s boils are beginning to go down, and they were the first. I’ll keep them all under observation. Oh, maybe you could ask Niylah to bring some food?”

Marcus nodded in agreement, kissed her on the head and then left with a “Nice ass, Bellamy!” thrown over his shoulder.

“Get lost, Kane!” Bellamy yelled good naturedly after him.

By dinner time the boils were beginning to subside and the patients were feeling a little bit better. Echo still couldn’t talk and Bellamy had to sit on a cushion but the fever was gone at least and the pus had stopped oozing. 

Most of the patients were sleeping off the shock and the cocktail of drugs Abby had fed them. Abby collapsed onto a chair and put her head in her hands, and Jackson sat down next to her. 

“Abby, why don’t you go and have dinner with Marcus. I can handle things here. And besides, Nate’s here and he’s feeling better. He’ll keep me company.”

Abby looked tempted by his offer, but she shook her head. “No, I should stay here.”

“Abby, you have to eat. Go find Kane and have dinner and then come back. I can manage here.”

Abby smiled wearily. “Ok, thank you Jackson. Promise me you’ll call me if you need me.”

She quickly checked on Clarke - she was sleeping peacefully, her nose now only the size of a golf ball - and then headed out of medical in search of Marcus and food.

 

 

She found Marcus outside sitting near the fire with Indra, Octavia and Madi. They were eating bowls of soup and having an animated discussion in Trig. Abby knew Marcus never missed an opportunity to practice; he was rather proud of his skills and she found this incredibly endearing. 

Marcus was clearly looking out for her and his face lit up when he caught sight of her. She helped herself to a bowl of soup and plonked herself down next to him. The others looked at her expectantly. 

“How’s everyone doing?” asked Marcus in a worried tone, pulling her under the blanket with him.

Abby quickly filled them in on the patients’ conditions, Octavia laughing when she heard about her brother, and Madi looking concerned about Clarke (“she’ll be fine,” Abby reassured her) and then slipped into silence while she devoured her soup. It was hot and nourishing, and just what she needed. She’d have to remember to compliment Niylah on her cooking. 

When the bowl was empty she sank against Marcus, pulling the blanket closer around her. It was a cool night but with the warmth of the fire and his body heat she was warm enough. 

She tried to follow the conversation but she was too exhausted, her brain recognising the words but failing to translate them in time to make any sense of them. Her Trig wasn’t as good as Marcus’s, and she quickly zoned out, defenceless against the wave of tiredness that washed over her. The warmth from the fire and the low babble of voices enveloped her in a comforting haze. 

Mesmerised by the flickering flames, she let Marcus’s deep and gentle voice soothe her, his hand in her hair sending pleasant shivers over her skin. He knew exactly when she just needed some down time, just needed his presence next to her, calming and reassuring but with no expectations. They were so perfectly in tune with each other. 

On the other side of the fire she could make out Raven and Shaw, deep in discussion, their heads almost touching. Raven looked the picture of happiness, Abby thought. Her dark eyes sparkled as she talked animatedly, and Shaw’s eyes didn’t leave her face for an instant.

Abby smiled as she saw Raven’s beautiful face break into a joyful smile and Shaw lean in to kiss her tenderly. Young love, she thought with a smile. Well, old love wasn’t half bad either.

Her thoughts turned to her conversation with Marcus in bed that morning. A baby. Her heart had nearly shattered at the hopeful look in his eyes. Could she go through pregnancy and motherhood again? She loved the thought of him being a father. He had so much to give, but she wasn’t sure if, after everything they had been through, she was strong enough. Physically or emotionally. 

And what sort of a world was this to bring a child into? They literally had no idea. She closed her eyes. She didn’t have to decide now. He had only asked her to think about it. And she would...

She must have drifted off, because suddenly Marcus was running around with a small child on his shoulders, and Abby was trying desperately to catch them to bathe the child’s ugly boils.

“Abby! Abby! Where’s Abby?” Jackson’s voice broke through her dream, shaking her awake with a jolt.   
“Abby! You have to come quickly!”   
Abby jumped to her feet, Marcus helping to steady her. 

“What is it? What’s happened?” she asked, slipping straight back into doctor mode.  
Jackson reached her, out of breath and red faced.   
“Abby! It’s Hope,” he gasped. “She’s sick!”


	4. Chapter 4

Abby set off at a run, Jackson and Marcus hot on her heels. As they ran, Jackson filled her in on what had happened. Apparently after Abby had left, Diyoza had appeared in medical with several boils which Jackson had treated in the same way as the other patients’. Jackson hadn’t been worried about Hope; she hadn’t been outside and the boils weren’t contagious so the fact that her mother had been bitten shouldn’t have been a risk to her.

He had been wrong. Before Diyoza had gone to medical about the boils, she had fed her daughter. And it seemed that the baby had ingested a minuscule amount of poison. Tiny baby Hope, only twelve days old and born six weeks premature, was running a fever of 102 in a desperate battle against an alien infection. 

Abby’s blood ran cold at the thought. 

They could hear Hope’s piercing cries before they even entered medical. Abby ran straight to Diyoza and took the tiny red-faced bundle in her arms, the baby’s fever radiating through her. Diyoza watched her, her eyes wide with silent panic, and Abby immediately tried to reassure her.

“We need to undress her,” she said with a calmness she didn’t feel, “and bathe her with tepid water to get her temperature down. Marcus, fetch a basin of water. Jackson, prepare fifty milligrams of paracetamol and we’ll start the antibiotic. She’s too tiny for the antihistamines.”

The men leapt into action and Abby turned to Diyoza. 

“We'll do everything we can,” she said with more conviction than she felt. “But until your boils have stopped oozing pus it’s better if you don’t touch her. We don’t want to risk any further infection.”

“Abby, please,” Diyoza pleaded, her voice desperate. “Don’t let her die.” 

Abby squeezed her hand and nodded before following Marcus and Jackson. She quickly undressed the infant and hooked her up to the heart monitor, and showed Marcus how to gently bathe her with a sponge and water. She noticed with a thud to her heart that the panic in his eyes matched Diyoza’s. He meticulously bathed her tiny body and slowly Hope’s cries became less intense.

Abby gave the baby a drip to keep her hydrated, and then attached the bag of antibiotics. From here on all they could do was pray. They sat by her side, hand in hand, and waited. 

After an hour there was little change in the baby’s condition, and Abby felt a cold dread forming in her gut. She didn’t know what else to do, and there was only so long a tiny baby could run such a high fever. At twelve days old she had no immunity to anything, no defences with which to fight the infection. She glanced at Marcus but his face was stony, unreadable. Feeling her eyes upon him he lifted his gaze and met hers in a silent plea.

“Isn’t there anything else we can do? I can’t just sit here and do nothing, Abby.” He ran his hands through his hair and a muscle in his cheek twitched with worry. 

“The antibiotics take time,” she said gently. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep.”

He shook his head. “How can I sleep? Please Abby. There must be something I can do.” He got up and began to pace.

Abby rubbed her forehead. “Marcus…” 

He really wasn’t helping, but she didn’t want to lose her patience with him. She knew how worried he was. She was about to suggest again that he went to get some rest when a beeping sound emanated from Hope’s machine. She whipped round to see that Hope’s body temperature had plummeted to 96.5. In flash Abby snatched the baby from the crib and wrapped her in blanket.

“What’s going on?” Marcus was by her side in an instant.

“Her body temperature is falling too much. It’s a possibility is newborns. They can’t regulate their body temperature at all so it tends to yo-yo all over the place.” She hugged the tiny bundle to her chest, trying to warm her up. She was relieved to see her temperature rising by a tenth of a degree. 

“Isn’t there anything else we can do? Her lips are turning blue,” said Marcus desperately. 

She stared at him, an idea occurring to her. Of course. What Hope needed was contact with her mother, but that was out of the question at the moment since Charmaine was covered in boils. But it didn’t have to be the mother, Abby thought. Studies had shown that skin on skin contact with the father was equally beneficial. And Marcus was the closest Hope had to a father figure at the moment. 

“Take your shirt off,” she said curtly.

Marcus did a double take. “What?!  
Abby, I -“

Abby rolled her eyes. “Marcus, get your mind out of the bedroom. This is how you can help Hope. You need to hold her but there needs to be skin on skin contact.”

Marcus looked dubious. “Are you sure?”

In response Abby began unbuttoning his shirt. Then she pushed him gently into the chair and and passed Hope to him. 

“Just hold her,” she told him, placing the baby on his naked chest. “Your body temperature and heart beat will help to stabilise hers.”

She covered them both with the blanket.  
“This will give her the best chance and fighting the infection,” she told him softly. 

“Then I’ll hold her as long as I need to,” he replied. 

She stayed by his side for a while, monitoring Hope’s temperature carefully. It fluctuated a little at first but then slowly began to rise thanks to Marcus’s body warmth, so Abby left them to check briefly on the other patients. Jackson had already discharged most of them before he went to bed - he was going to have to cover medical in the morning - but Bellamy was still in a little pain so Clarke was sitting with him. Hope’s mother was still awake, her cheeks wet with tears and her eyes red and swollen. Abby took her hand, her heart constricting. 

“Her fever has broken,” she said gently, “But then her body temperature dropped too much. Marcus is holding her now and she’s stabilising.”

Abby knew Diyoza was desperate to see Hope, but whilst her temperature had returned to normal, her boils were still red and oozing. 

“We can’t risk further infection,” she reiterated, rubbing the other woman’s arm. “She’s in good hands. Marcus has her.”

Diyoza was somewhat placated by this, and Abby told her to at least get some rest - knowing that sleep would be impossible till Hope was out of danger - and returned to Marcus and Hope. 

Marcus was resting with his head against the wall and his eyes closed but she knew he wasn’t asleep - he would never risk dropping Hope. She checked the baby’s temperature and heart rate and noted with relief that they were slightly more normal. Hope wasn’t out of the woods yet but Abby felt a little more optimistic.

Sensing her presence, he opened his eyes. “How’s she doing?” 

“She’s doing okay,” she replied softly. “Her temperature is returning to normal. There’s a chance she’s going to make it.”

She heard him let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

“You holding her has helped her, Marcus. Her heart rate is more normal too.”

He chuckled softly. “I had no idea I had such powers.”

Their eyes met over Hope’s head and Abby felt a rush of love for this man who would literally move mountains to save the people he loved. She ruffled his hair affectionately, her mind once again returning to their conversation in bed that morning. 

The hours passed, and Hope's condition remained stable. Abby pottered around medical, tidying up after the rush of the previous day. The first sun was beginning to rise, and the world outside was bathed in the strange half-light which was characteristic of the first dawn. The second dawn wouldn’t be far behind. She yawned, a wave of tiredness hitting her as she realised they’d been up all night. She sterilised some equipment and was putting it away when she heard Marcus calling her in hushed but concerned tones.

“Abby. Abby!”

Abby rushed to his side, worried that Hope had taken a turn for the worse, but what she saw lifted her heart and brought a smile to her face. Hope was awake and whimpering, her little head headbutting Marcus’s shoulder over and over, whilst her open mouth instinctively made contact with his skin.

“What’s she doing?” Marcus’s eyes were creased in confusion. “Is she ok?”

Abby’s smile widened and she hastened to reassure him. 

“She’s fine, Marcus! She’s hungry, that’s all! All babies do that. She’s searching for her mother’s milk. But it’s a good sign, her temperature is back to normal. She’s going to be fine.” 

Marcus’s eyes widened in surprise before relief washed across his face. He chuckled softly. 

“Well, she won’t find any milk here! You’d better take her to Diyoza.” He placed a small kiss on Hope’s head and passed her to Abby, and the baby cried in protest as she felt the loss of Marcus’s body warmth. 

Charmaine was sitting up in bed, her boils looking considerably less weepy and her face a more normal colour. Abby placed Hope in her mother’s arms and Charmaine clutched her tightly to her, the tears falling once more. 

“She’s okay,” Abby told her. “The poison is nasty but not deadly. She’s had a rough night but she’s out of danger now.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Abby,” Charmaine whispered against her daughter’s head. “I thought I was going to lose her.”

“I just did my job,” Abby told her. “Marcus holding her all night helped her a lot.”

“He held her all night?” Charmaine looked surprised, and Abby nodded.

“He’d do anything for her. You know that.”

Hope was whimpering again, her mouth searching even more frantically for her mother’s breast now that she was so near. Charmaine lifted her shirt and the baby latched on immediately, guzzling hungrily. 

“Well, she certainly has her appetite back,” Abby said with relief. “I’ll leave you to feed her in peace.”

“You should get some sleep, Abby,” Diyoza told her. “You and Kane have been up all night. You must be exhausted.”

Abby nodded. “Jackson will be here in a moment, but you can call me if there are any problems.”

Back in their room, Marcus and Abby fell into bed, Abby curling into Marcus’s side. He rubbed her back and she melted at his touch, his gentle hands caressing away the tension of the day. She sighed contentedly.

“What a day,” she murmured sleepily. “I’m so glad Hope’s okay.”

“Thanks to you.” Marcus’s voice rumbled in his chest and the vibrations rippled through her body. 

“You held her for six hours, Marcus. It’s thanks to you too.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully, not sure if she wanted to say what was on her mind. They were both tired, and maybe this was something that could wait until later in the day. But as usual, Marcus read her mind.

“What is it?” he asked gently.

“I was talking to Jackson this morning, about the contraceptive implants. You know, just generally asking him if he thinks we need to start checking how effective they still are, and if we need to replace them. He suggested blood tests to check the progestin hormone levels of the women who have the implants.”

“Mmmmm,” Marcus murmured against her hair. “And?”

“Well, I said he could start with me, so he took some blood this morning. Obviously with the rush he didn’t have chance to do the tests until later on this evening. And - the results were quite - interesting. I have no progestin in my blood. It would seem that my implant isn’t working at all. Jackson thinks that they weren’t preserved in cryosleep, because they aren’t organic.”

Abby paused, then took a deep breath. 

“Since we’ve been having sex regularly since we landed here, I asked him to test for the hGC hormone. That’s the pregnancy hormone. And - it was positive, Marcus. it looks like you are going to get your wish of becoming a father after all.”

She smiled against his skin, waiting for his reaction with baited breath. When he didn’t answer, she lifted her head from his chest to see his expression.

“Marcus?”

But he was already fast asleep.


	5. Epilogue

When Marcus Kane lived on the Ark there were a lot of things he never could have imagined. He never imagined he’d set foot on the Earth. The green and blue globe that filled the window of his room on the Ark was a dream reserved for future generations, not his. He remembered his first steps on Earth, the crunch of the ground beneath his feet, the most striking thing the lack of noise and vibrations of the Ark’s life systems. The planet was eerily silent and still, the colours so vivid and the distances so vast that it both filled his soul and left him with a sense of emptiness at the sheer enormity of it.

He never imagined that Abby would fall in love with him, that she would forgive him for the terrible things he’d done and teach him about hope and second chances. He never, ever imagined that he would spend long nights making love to her, her warmth and passion and love making him whole when he was broken, breathing life into him with every touch, every kiss, every murmured I love you.

He never imagined that one day she would wake him up to tell him that Jackson had tested her blood to see if her contraceptive implant was still working and the result was no, it wasn’t, and he was going to be a father. He thought back fondly to that night, or rather morning, after Hope had been sick. He remembered lying in bed with Abby in his arms, her mesmerising voice talking of blood tests and Jackson, but the exhaustion had been too much for him and he had drifted off. Seconds later he was jolted awake as Abby exclaimed “Marcus! _Marcus_!”  
She had repeated what she had been saying, and Marcus had looked at her in a sleepy daze before it had sunk in and he had thought his heart would burst. He had pulled her to him and covered every inch of her face and forehead and nose with kisses until she was giggling and gasping for air, then his mouth had found hers in a long, slow kiss that had sealed the pact on this new phase in their lives. Afterwards he had made love to her, slowly and gently because she was even more precious to him now that she was carrying his child, and he was worried he’d hurt her or the baby, despite her reassurances that it was smaller than a bean at that point.

He never imagined Abby would be even more beautiful when she was pregnant. After years of her body being ravaged by the opioid addiction, her glowing skin, fuller figure and soft round breasts delighted him. He wanted her more than ever and luckily for him her pregnancy hormones had sent her libido into overdrive too. They were constantly hungry for each other, dragging each other into cupboards and dark corners, mouths and fingers working frantically to find release. He loved her rounded belly - running his hands over it whilst his head rested on her breasts made him so hard for her that he actually wondered if he had a bit of a mummy kink. However he didn’t dwell too much on that because he had discovered that Abby _definitely_ had a daddy kink, much to his amusement. He had come home late one evening to find Abby in bed, her eyes closed and her fingers between her legs while small moans escaped her lips. Amused and aroused, he had feigned disapproval and scolded her playfully for not waiting for him, at which she had smiled coyly and said “Are you going to punish me, Daddy?” And so he had, well and truly, with tiny tantalising flicks of his tongue, lapping at her entrance and between her folds but never _there_ , at her core. He brought her to the brink and kept her there until she was writhing beneath him, and only when she begged “Daddy please, I’ll be good I promise!” did he take her clit in his mouth and let her orgasm crash over her as cries of “Yes Daddy, oh YES!!!” tumbled from her lips. Afterwards, they had dissolved into giggles in each other’s arms, and Abby had wondered aloud where on Earth _that_ had come from as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

He could never have imagined how much amniotic fluid could come flooding out of Abby until he woke up in a soaking wet bed to find Abby clutching her lower abdomen and groaning. He remembered feeling alternating waves of panic and excitement as he realised the baby was finally on the way. He had rubbed Abby’s back and helped her to breathe through the contractions while they waited for Jackson to arrive, but the hours passed and no Jackson came. He certainly could never have imagined Abby’s outbursts of rage as one contraction after another wracked her body and there was still no sign of Jackson and the painkilling drugs.

“Where the hell is he?” she had yelled at Marcus. “You go find him and you tell him to get his sorry ass here with those meds or I’ll fire his miserable ass! Ah ah aaaah!” as another contraction tore through her.

Marcus wasn’t sure if she was serious or not, so he waited until the contraction had passed before asking hesitantly if she really wanted him to leave her.

“Yes,” she had said vehemently. “I need those meds. I’ll be okay for five minutes.”

He doubted he’d be able to locate Jackson within five minutes, but he thought he’d better try, so he was making his way towards the door when another yell from Abby erupted into the room.

“MARCUS!!” she roared. “GET BACK HERE WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING GODAMMIT AH - AHH - AAAHHH!!”

Marcus had hurried back to her side, ready to help with her breathing again when Abby had gasped and stared at him wide-eyed.

“Marcus,” she panted. “This is it. I have to push.”

“Abby no. Wait for Jackson. I don’t know what to do!”

“GODAMMIT MARCUS do you think I have a choice in this? The baby is coming I tell you!”

And so he could never have imagined that one day he would deliver his own son, would cut the umbilical cord himself, and would place his son on Abby’s chest while Abby cried tears of relief and happiness and he hugged them both and told her how beautiful their son was and how proud of her he was.

Fatherhood was definitely like nothing he could ever have imagined. He had fallen in love immediately with Jacob, who they had named after Jake Griffin and Jacapo Sinclair. The love he felt for his son almost scared him in its intensity. He was consumed with an overwhelming need to protect him, even more so because of the horrors he had seen on Earth. But now they were making their home on the new planet; a new beginning, and a new life. He hoped they had finally broken the cycle and that his son would know the peaceful world he had always dreamed of.

He could sit and watch him sleep for hours, admiring his tiny fingers and dimpled hands, his long dark eyelashes and chubby rolls of fat at his knees. He would carry him around at all hours of the night to calm his cries and soothe his colicky tummy while Abby got some much needed sleep. But more than anything he could never have imagined how happy it would make him to see Abby with Jacob, how soft her expression was as she smiled at him and kissed and nursed him, murmuring sweet words of endearment that elicited wide-eyed gazes and then later tiny coos and gurgles and toothless smiles. Jacob was mesmerised by his mother, and who could blame him, he thought. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

And finally, he could never have imagined that one day, many, many years after they had left the Ark, and on a new planet one hundred and twenty-five years from Earth, he would find himself, former head of the guard and chancellor, babysitting five infants whilst their mothers spent a well deserved evening celebrating and their fathers were out on a mission. Little Hope was now eighteen months old and toddling all over the place, and with her mother’s boldness and sharp eyes she was quite a handful. His son was now nine months, chubby and beatific with dark curls and chocolatey brown eyes. He was just learning to crawl but could still only manage to go backwards, meaning that he often had to be fished out from under furniture. Shaw and Raven’s daughter Eva was five months and was a peaceful little soul who was happy to sit in one place and thoroughly explore anything she could get her little hands on, gurgling and cooing to herself. Bellamy and Echo’s daughter Aurora was just six weeks old and fast asleep in her bassinet. The last baby, John and Emori’s son Alex, was six and a half months and was engaged in rolling across the floor in a valiant attempt to escape Marcus’s care. Marcus picked him up and brought him back to the blanket, grabbed Hope before she pulled a data pad onto the floor, fished his son out from under the bed and, shaking his head, retrieved Alex from the door again.

“Like father, like son,” he thought to himself grimly.

His son was getting fractious so he picked him up and put him on his shoulder, hoping he’d fall asleep and lessen his workload by a further fifth. Jacob tugged on his beard gleefully and planted sloppy kisses on his cheek, and Marcus laughed, his heart melting at his son’s pudgy little hands on his face. Meanwhile Hope had brought him some drawings Clarke had done for her and wanted Marcus to point to the pictures so that she could say the words, and he happily obliged, keeping an eye on little Alex as he did. By the tenth word he realised that Jacob was growing heavy on his shoulder, so he placed him on the bed and went to retrieve Alex from the door again.

“Alex runnin’ away,” said Hope, shaking her head. “Naughty boy.”

“He’s mischievous, yes,” said Marcus wearily. “I think he’s inherited some of his mummy and daddy’s traits.”

He finally managed to get Alex to stop rolling long enough to fall asleep and he placed him on the bed next to Jacob. Little Eva had explored an empty pill box to her heart’s content and had keeled over face down, out for the count. Marcus chuckled as he picked her up and put her on the bed too. He looked at Hope, who was still wide awake and eyeing him defiantly as if daring him to try to get her to go to sleep too.

“Story!” she demanded with her mother’s forthrightness.

“Very well,” he sighed. “But you have to lie down.”

“Nope.” She shook her head adamantly.

“Do you want to sit on my lap then?”

Hope put her head on one side, as if weighing up the possibility that she’d end up on the bed with the babies.

“‘Kay.” She climbed onto Marcus’s lap and snuggled in to him.

“Which story do you want?”

“The people in the sky!” she said at once, her eyes lighting up.

Marcus chuckled. “Again?”

Hope nodded eagerly. “Please.”

So Marcus told her the story of the People Who Lived In The Sky, going round and round the Earth because they thought it was dangerous to come down, till one day they came down to try to find more air to breathe and met the People Who Lived On The Ground. He told her how beautiful the Earth had been to them, how blue the sky was, how high the mountains were. He told her of the Tree From Space which they had taken back to Earth and planted in an enormous forest where it grew strong and tall with all the other trees. He told her how they made peace with the beautiful lady with the flame who lived in an incredibly tall tower, of a magical place called the City of Light where everyone was happy and of the heroes who travelled for days to find it. He told her of the girl under the floor who rode free on Earth and became a great leader, saving her people from the big fire by leading them to a castle underground, and of the great warrior whose love for her had united their people. He told her of the brilliant young mechanic who flew space rockets to the stars, of the girl with the magical blood whose love for her friends was so deep and so wide that she saved them time and time again, and of the lady who lived on an asteroid and came to Earth in a spaceship to open the door of the castle underground (“Mummy!” whispered Hope, her eyes shining). He told her stories of love, of friendship, of family, of a mother’s love for her daughter, a brother’s love for his sister, and the couple whose love for each other was so strong that they stayed awake while everyone else slept, bringing them to the new planet, and a new life.

Rewriting their story without the blood and death and violence, the horror and the hopelessness.

Rewriting it with Hope.


End file.
